Challenges and Victories Mark the Long Road to Equity (CTF Report)

Whenever I consider the lives of my three adult daughters, I cannot help but feel pride in the victories my generation has won while at the same time wondering at the many challenges women still face in achieving equity. It is at these times that I fully realize my responsibility to be a role model and mentor to a new generation.

For much of my adult life, I have worked within my union to provide protection, improved salaries and working conditions, and professional growth for my colleagues in education. But young women today are looking for more – they want an acceptable balance between personal life and work, and they want to be a part of shaping a better world. Young women’s aspirations can significantly advance the cause of teacher unions. They bring enthusiasm, skills, and a drive for social justice to the table, but we, the organizations’ leaders, must provide them with equal access to leadership positions.

More than 72 percent of Canadian teachers are women, yet we remain underrepresented in leadership roles in our professional organizations. Nevertheless CTF has established an international reputation as a leader in the fight for gender equity. CTF supports women’s networks in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The Girl Child Project in Uganda addresses the barriers many female students face, and our work with Latin American unions helps develop non-sexist curricula and teaching practices.

Discussing Women's Issues

We were delighted that for the second consecutive year ETFO hosted the CTF Annual Women’s Issues Symposium in Toronto on February 9-10. ETFO’s generous support, both financial and in-kind, has made our annual event a successful one attended by over 50 women teacher leaders from across Canada. We heard powerful speakers such as Marina Nemat, once a political prisoner in Iraq, who now lives in Canada, and who has written a book about her story. Rebeca Sevilla of Education International spoke about women’s issues in the global context.Canadian teachers – including ETFO leaders – were active participants in Beijing+15, the 54th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, in early March. The event was called to review progress on gender equity 15 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.From May 19 to 22, Education International will convene its first World Women’s Conference, “On the Move for Equity,” in Bangkok, Thailand. More than 300 leaders of teacher unions from around the globe will participate in this forum, which seeks to create a common understanding of the state of progress toward equality in unions, education, and society.We should each take pride in our victories and recommit ourselves to the challenge of engaging our daughters in the fight for true equality especially in our profession.